Break the silence! Support YEMEN

Well the clip speaks for itself, so no need for further elaboration... BUT there is a need to share, and spread the word... SUPPORT YEMEN and basic human rights today! 

Please Like the FB page and follow the twitter account you'll see at the end of the clip.

10 reasons why Roadster deserves RESPECT, not just Loyalty...

While we all know how well managed a brand like Roadster is, how many people enjoy its food and how many loyal customers it has. Below is a list of why not only do I love the diner, the food and the people who work there. I RESPECT THEM!

I respect Roadster because:

1. They learn fast & make changes quickly: There was a time when if you felt like a delivery from Roadster's, their operators would drain your credit, patience and appetite. But those days are over. You call Roadster today, and I almost guarantee that you will get a girl, who is polite, friendly but not fake, will confirm your contact details and address fast, and will take your order and cross sell other menu items even faster... Whether they invested in a new calling system or grilled their standards into the brains of their employees... They do it well!

2. They say NO to lame excuses: When they say your order will arrive in 35 minutes... they ARE at your door after 35 MINUTES! They don't use traffic as an excuse in the most traffic congested city in the region!

3. They keep their promise: When you read in their menu that there is rocket leaves in a salad. You get big, juicy, fresh, green rocket leaves... and not just 2 or 3 leaves... you get a whole pile of them!

4. They are GENEROUS: When I order a salad and ask for a dressing other than the one mentioned on the menu, they send me both for no extra charge. Sure it's not much, and I won't use the other dressing anyway, but it tells me they are NOT cheap!

5. They pay attention to details: When you order from Roadster, your food is packed properly. Their packaging keeps the food where it should stay and yet is easy to open. You might say these are basics, but there are brands out there that still get it wrong! Also their accompanying set of utensils (labeled the Perfect Set) is perfect indeed. There is everything you need in there from toothpick to a fork and knife.

6. They keep it simple: No fancy names of food in their menu, no fancy talk over the phone. Everything is well explained, in visible font. You know what you will get when you make that order. The only surprise you are getting is a happy one.

7. They don't offer something new, unless they have mastered the basics, the classics, and made it their own: Roadster didn't just jump onto the diet/ light train that's taking Beirut by storm. They stuck to their guns and did what they do best, made sure no one can do it better, and THEN took it a step further. So when they introduced their Low- Cal menu, it was credible, because people knew that Roadster rarely messes up, if ever.

8. They have raised the standards of the food and restaurant industry in Lebanon: Let's face it, I know a lot of restaurants out there who claim they have accreditation from ISO, or some other institution we have never heard of. But when dietitians, nutrition majors and academic professors take samples of Roadster's food and tell you its CLEAN, GOOD QUALITY and among the best there is... then it probably is! Trustworthiness doesn't come from a stamp, or a label, it is gained because you DO NOT compromise quality, EVER! And you respect the intelligence of your customers.

9. Consistency, Consistency, Consistency: Everyone will get a hot juicy yummy burger every time, a cold crunchy fresh salad every time, or a warm creamy pasta every time... everyone... every time!

10. Value is not an option, or a promise, it's a way of life: If you check Roadster's website, you will read that they have 5 core values. Now, if you are not a fan of business and marketing talk, let me just give you the bottom line: these people have found a way, to provide QUALITY food, RICH flavor, GOOD experience and for a GOOD PRICE. I know that that Roadster is not affordable for every one. And even if you can afford it, you will probably break the bank if you have it regularly. But, I also know that you can enjoy one of the yummiest burgers out there with fries and salad to match for just over $10. Something I am sure is virtually impossible at those other burger places popping left, right and center!

So there you have it! 10 reasons why I am enforcing the togetherness they have included in their logo, and though there is nothing forever, let me tell you, I am gonna be their friend for quite a long, long, long time!








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Russell Peters: Best Ad for BO-18 & Party life in Lebanon ever!

Different people will form different opinions about this clip. There will be those who feel insulted, there will be those who will feel indifferent, and there will be those who will laugh their hearts out, just like i did. 

But in relevance to the Hope "motive", you might wonder where I see hope in this? Sure, I listened to Rusell make fun of our Arab accent, nationalities and behavior, but I also kept my eyes on the crowd. The audience had Arabs from almost every Arab country out there, and I saw them tearing up with laughter. Hope comes from the ability of laughing at ourselves, identifying that there is some truth to what Peters is saying, and not taking matter too seriously. 

Elsa Maxwell said: "Laugh at your troubles before someone else does". In doing so I guess, you have first identified your troubles, but also cut them down to size! Finding people who still have that ability and positivity is refreshing. I see hope, because I see individuals who are NOT indifferent to how Arabs, Lebanese included, are perceived world wide, nor do they want to be marked with traits such as terror and aggression. In their simple act of going to a stand up comedy show, and laughing at themselves, they are presenting a dignified refusal for those who wish to strip them from their humanty... And in that ladies and gentlemen... there is HOPE!

Have a great laugh! 

 

*Special thanks go to M.T. a friend of mine who shared this Youtube clip with me

*If you want to know more about Russel Peters just click here or visit his website

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Best Meat Sharma in FC - Beirut!

I know what you are thinking, but NO this is not a food review, and not a log of my quest to find the best meat shawrma in Beirut. It's far far better...

It's a funny scene fresh from my FB chat window last night...hope it brings you a few laughs...

That said, if you do know where one can find the best shawrma in Beirut do share! Don't be shy now...

• Friend: baddi shawarma la7meh, min 2ayn 2atyab shi ya dieter??  
• Me: i have no clue, bas it depends on where u are in beirut, i mean in hamra there is bibo's. bas usually i don't eat shawrma la7me so i can't really tell
• Friend: ah hehe.. neither do I!!!! bas ma ba3rif leih, 3am yotla3 3abeli el la7mi hal yawmayn :S  
• Friend: tayyeb ma drouri atyab shi, just somethin good.. am still at work...going home towarsd FB, if it helps.

Here I digress to ask an urging question....

• Me: what is FB? 

Had to ask coz the only FB I know is facebook!

• Friend: Furn el Chebbak.. lol. FC then 

NO COMMENT

• Me: i don't know walla 7ayaty, wait...

At this point, I thought an expert must intervene so I call another friend of mine who lives in Furn 2il Chibbak and knows top falafel and shawrma places... 

Phone rings, rings, rings some more....

• Me: wanted to ask an expert for u, coz she lives in FC but no answer. sorry. 

I bet she was asleep

• Friend: lool

I could never understand that one. Not sure what it stands for. Maybe "Laugh out out loud"... I guess when someone makes you laugh that hard, then he/ she can't keep the laugh inside! Hence the "out out" part...

• Friend: khalas, i will have to go with what is least risky... so I guess either I go to Bliss house, or on my way bwa22if 3ind Barbar
• Me: yeah. Although sara7a both are risky
• Friend: bas the risk goes down with the fact that they have high turnover, they sell, so inno balki the stuff are more new 

Or so she thinks!

• Friend: mom says fi wa7ad 7ad baytna 2al he's good, 2ismo LaLa Chicken. bas he's new and balki i get there w yotla3 ma fi

That last sentence validates all previous scientific research and brings us to our conclusion:

1. Girls can sure multi-task. They can think about where to have the best meat shawrma, figure out the best route to get there, extract this information from at least 3 different people, through different communication channels (mobile, FB chat, etc...), communicate blogs to other friends, and finish up work for the day!
2. Moms are special! That sentence sure reminded me of much mine is. After all, only a mom will suggest a place called "Lala Chicken" when her daughter wants meat shawrma!

P.S. I have never met my friend's mother but I am sure she is as adorable as my friend is... Sending both of them loads of love and respect. Also, special thanks goes out to my friend for allowing me to share her great sense of humor with the rest of you! and to my other friend for falling asleep in my time of need.


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The 4 Cs of your eyes...

Today is Friday… and hopefully by the time I post this entry you will have time to read it before you go party your heart out… or in, whichever makes you more comfortable. Anyway, today all of a sudden I got the urge to write again, simply because I have arrived at a most "precious" theory...

The day started with waking up, getting ready and trying to finish getting dressed and having breakfast as quietly as possible. I didn’t want to wake up poor roommate. But, of course no matter how much you have planned to keep it down, things always go in a different direction.  That is why I specifically tripped over every wire and pair of shoes, bumped into every door, corner and chair, and dropped everything from hair brushes to earrings. Well she is up! She is a pleasant polite soul, so she said

My mom, Dolly Ghanem, and the 8 o'clock news

It’s 8 pm… and if you are Lebanese, you probably know what time it is. It’s time for the news. I can almost visualize my fellow countrymen and women. Circling around the TV, choosing a channel they think most credible, there is a huge selection to choose from - Future TV, Al Jadeed, LBC, NBN, MTV, MANAR… you name it, we watch it. Then there are the more eclectic among us; those might choose to watch Arabiya, Jazeera CNN, BBC… And then there are my parents, who have their own ritual. Every night at 8 pm my dad and mom alternate channels, my dad watches the news of one channel on one TV set, and my mom watches another news broadcast on another channel on another TV set (I must mention here that we have more than 1 TV set at home)

Tonight my mother has chosen to watch LBC’s news. And she chose well I must say. At exactly 8 pm, Dolly Ghanem, a well known Lebanese news anchor shines through our SHARP LCD screen, dressed in a lovely blue top looking like the royalty that she is… yes I am a HUGE FAN! She starts the news as usual with what’s going on next door... how many died, how many lied, how many are still on strike, how many call for further revolution, how many call to stop the revolution, how many went out to demand their freedom after prayers, how many prayers… The numbers grow, the bloodshed continues. I guess prayers are not being answered tonight!

Dolly’s face says it all really, and in case you or I missed it, the images remind you… the voices remind you, the weird feeling at the pit of your stomach reminds you.

Dolly then talks about the Bieber fever that has taken the Arab world by storm, all 22 countries of it… yes we have our own Bieber, he is none other than Al Qathafi, his actions, words, whereabouts seem to still top the headlines. One Libyan revolution’s solider talks about how they will search for the Libyan Bieber, find him and bring him to justice because according to him “GAME OVER”. I am not sure which game he meant: is it the lack of development? Is it getting rid of NATO before they turn Libya into another Iraq? Is it how to produce oil to benefit the Libyan people? Or is it relieving the Libyan people of the water crisis that looms ahead? Well I guess that’s a lot of games but the solider was very determined to highlight that the “Game is over”

It’s time for a break. The best ad of them all is that of Cheyef 7alak campaign. A very well informed Lebanese wozz on a scooter explains to us viewers that what makes a real chauffer are 2 things: “2il2ab wil Tikhmees”…translation: balancing a motorbike on one wheel and riding it to form a full circle like the number five in Arabic… My mom and I laugh… my mom runs to check on her cooking and meet my dad to discuss and analyze what they just saw and heard… they are cute when they go all political in the corridor.

I mute the TV and go back to reading my book: “In Search of Fatima: A Palestinian story”. I am in chapter 2, page 96: “But as February slipped into March with no signs of relief for our plight, hope that the Arab states were going to leap to our defense were dwindling fast…” My eyes roll to page 97:

Matters got worse and here was shooting in the streets in Tulkarm, the old people were bewildered by it. They remembered how it was in the Great War and thought it was happening all over again. “But even the Great War came to an end” they said and so will this…”

This is way too familiar. According to Dr. Ghada Karmi, this was back in January of 1948. Based on what I have seen so far from the 8 o’clock news tonight, not much have changed, in fact hardly anything has changed except for the hairstyles of news anchors. Bullets are still heard in the streets. Whether the streets are that of Tulkarm, Gaza, Hamra, Saida, Damscus, Allepo, Libya, or Yemen; our plight has not been relieved.

The break is over, I un-mute the TV and decide that Dolly deserves another chance, maybe next she will communicate hope, positivity, a resolution of some sort… Dolly, bless her soul does nothing of the sort. I don’t think she heard me.

Instead, Mrs. Ghanem informs that tomorrow is the first day of Eid Al Fitr. I don’t know if anyone noticed what happened next. Then again I could have imagined it, but I could have sworn that Dolly took a deep breath and then started talking about the Lebanese government.  Now frankly, to a Lebanese, that is by far the most agonizing of topics. Sometimes, I think we would all rather take bullets in the streets of Libya than have to listen to them or to any other Lebanese politician speak. Dolly shares a politician’s speech with us.  He talks and talks, and then he talks of the names the Americans gave him: “What were they?” he asks a reporter with humor, or humorless, then he utters: “uncontrollable” and “unpredictable” My mom turns to me as I write this and asks: “What did he say? Did he say unrespectable?” I laugh… I crack up actually. I correct her and laugh some more… it does not really matter what they call him… it doesn’t matter because he makes my mom laugh. I love it when my mom laughs… and in a way I almost emotionally connected with that politician because he makes my mom laugh… I connected with him for a split second… but then I came back to my senses!

The agony does not end. Dolly is playing rough tonight! She talks about who visited the prime minster and what they talked about and then… just when you think there will be less pain she mentions Walloudi’s name. She talks about whom Walloudi choose to congratulate and send regards to for the occasion of Eid 2il Fitr. Of course, Lebanon despite current events still carries some form of democracy in the Middle East and accordingly you would think that Walloudi should be free to congratulate and salute anyone he wants. But NO! Walloudi has done it again! He has turned the simple act of congratulating people during Eid into a news headline with one of his subliminal press releases that just keep everyone wondering… More gibberish… I don’t think it’s Dolly’s fault. Then Dolly speaks of Palestine, well she really has nothing to say… she just updates the rest of us about the death count, my heart cracks. Somalia is briefly mentioned, only because of $2 million donation not because more than $2 million people are starving to death. Someone bombed a mosque in Iraq…again!

Dolly talks some more, another break, another ad, I am still wondering about page 97… 

The news ends with Karla, I love Karla… I really do, I have nothing against her… she is just doing her job and it happens to be saying gibberish about the weather and other parts of the world. At least she looks a lot better and causes me no pain while she says it. Karla has no more gibberish to say. Camera zooms in on Dolly, she smiles back at me, great haircut, knock out blouse, looking like royalty and she asks my mom and I to join her tomorrow at the same time.

I look over to say something to my mom… she is not there! She left. I am not sure when she left. I am not sure if she even came back. I guess she knows, what Gahda Karmi and Dolly know… New news will not be broadcasted tonight! New news will just have to wait… we ALL have to wait and watch another news anchor, another day but at the same time! We cannot handle new news anyway, especially one of hopeful and positive nature!

Imagine what would happen, if there where no more bullets in the streets, if students in Gaza can walk to school instead of run for their lives, if you can protest in Hamra without being beaten half to death and chased out of your own country. Imagine if suddenly a group of investors’ decided to invest and develop the agriculture sector in Somalia. And I don’t want to even think what will happen if Egypt gets a decent president and if the only Americans in Iraq turn out to be just…tourists! And by far the most elaborate of imaginations is to imagine that a mom will send her son out to the grocery store and will not have to worry whether he will come back or not. I think I am giving myself ulcers just thinking about it…

You see, all this NEW news after all this old news CANNOT be good news! It’s bad for my health; it’s bad for yours… So we wait. I mean after all it’s only been 60 something years… For God’s sake people have some patience! 


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